


Not Penny's Boat (He Didn't Believe in Soulmates)

by JohnnieTheNB



Category: Downton Abbey
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, How Do I Tag, M/M, Sickfic, i usually don't like sickfics but here we are, it sounds like a lost fanfic but i promise it's not, shut up, they were just watching lost, they're married also, yes i also just finished the third season
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-20
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:13:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25408213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JohnnieTheNB/pseuds/JohnnieTheNB
Summary: When Thomas gets the flu, he and Richard decide to rewatch some old TV shows and get hooked on one. After the third season, however, they should probably get some sleep.
Relationships: Thomas Barrow/Richard Ellis
Comments: 4
Kudos: 34





	Not Penny's Boat (He Didn't Believe in Soulmates)

**Author's Note:**

> So I did just finish watching the third season of lost... and... spoilers if you haven't watched the entirety of lost and are planning to so watch out! Also you don't have to have watched lost to understand what's happening don't worry lmfao

It’s nearly midnight, and Thomas has been sobbing his tired little head off for the past half hour.— since getting sick three days ago, he and Richard have finished three seasons of Lost on Amazon Prime. They finished the third season... half an hour ago. 

Right now, Thomas is shoving “grief biscuits” into the oven and shovelling the last of the biscuit dough out with a spoon. He lets himself slide to the floor, shivering and sniffling, with the bowl of dough under his arm. Richard rather hates himself for finding all of this amusing, because Thomas can’t help the fact that is sick and therefore loopy, and has been for the past few days, so his emotions are heightened and he must feel so terrible and stuffy... 

Richard walks over to him with a huge, fluffy, twin-sized comforter and wraps it around both himself and his husband as he lowers himself to the ground beside him. “Don’t tire yourself out, love.” He croons, and Thomas presses his whole self up against Richard as if too feed off of his heat. He’s still crying, his eyes red and puffy, face scrunched up. 

“But he died, Richie.” He whines in a tone that’s entirely unlike him. It does send a little electric shower through Richard’s body, he won’t lie. “He’s not coming back. He drowned. Can you imagine drowning? What if you drowned? I don’t want you to drown.” He drops the biscuit dough and winds his arms around Richard’s. Richard tries very hard not to laugh at him (Really, what is wrong with Richard? This isn’t funny.)

“I’m not going to drown, darling.” He feels Thomas nod, wipe his face on Richard’s sleeve. “And Thomas... Charlie isn’t real.” Thomas seems very offended by that statement, scowling very hard at Richard, though not recoiling at all from his side. “He was real to me.” He sniffs loudly, presses his face against Richard’s shoulder. Richard kisses him on the forehead. “Okay.” He whispers, unable to keep a gentle smile off of his face. “He was real to you... do you want to rewatch the first three seasons with me so he’s still alive?” 

Thomas looks up at him, face all scrunched up and running. He’s so adorable, right then, he’s so cute— He nods vigorously. He shudders a little bit. “I love you so much.” He proclaims, his voice quavering in its intensity. His husband grins at him, runs his hand through his hair. “I love you too, darling.”

He helps him up and practically carries him back to the sofa, where he collapses again halfway on top of Richard when he puts on the first episode. Thomas gives a tired little “Yayyyy...” When Charlie comes onscreen, and nuzzles his face against Richard’s collarbone. He’s absolutely crushing Richard’s arm, (it’s gone numb) but he’s so sweet and warm it would tear Richard’s heart in two to make him get off.

“Do you want to... get married.” Thomas mutters as he’s just about to fall asleep. Richard looks down at his wedding band. He huffs, smiles, kisses Thomas’s head. “Yeah, we can do that.” Thomas giggles sleepily. “I can’t believe you married me.” He giggles again, mischievously this time. “Sucker...” It’s muffled by Richard’s jumper. Richard laughs too, chest all filled with fuzz and warmth. “I’d marry you if the world turned upside, Thomas Ellis. In the eye of a hurricane on the top of mount Everest.”

“Hmm,” Thomas murmurs, smiling into Richard’s jumper. “That’s my name now.” He says it like he’s bragging about something.

“Now and forever.” says Richard. Thomas scoffs at him. “Y’r so cheesy...” 

“I know I am. You remind me of it so often.”

“Hmm. S’rv’s y’ right,”

“I suppose so.” Richard rests his cheek against Thomas’ hair. There’s a sleepy silence for a few minutes filled by the shallow glow of the television and Thomas’s slow but steady breathing. 

“Thomas?” Richard whispers once he’s almost sure his husband is asleep. To his surprise, he gets a hardly-audible “hhm?” in return. 

“I love you.”

There’s a short pause. Then some humming. “I love you ‘lways f’rever ne’r and far clos’r together everywhere I will be with you everythin’ I will do for you.” He sang in something of a drawl.

Richard can’t stop himself from laughing— and it shakes his whole body when he does—this man— 

“Richie...”

“What is it, sweetheart?”

“I love you too.”

He‘s asleep in the next minute, snoring softly into Richard’s shoulder. Richard turns off the TV with his free hand, then uses it to wrap around his husband’s waist. Thomas makes a happy little noise is his sleep, and snuggles himself closer into Richard, his hands balled up into fists in front of his chest. He’s so warm...

The biscuits get burned. Richard calls Daisy to get them out of the oven because he can’t move without upsetting Thomas, and he is absolutely not going to do that. Her flat is only a few blocks down from theirs. (Richard? It’s the middle of the night..?) But she does get them out of the oven, the absolute saint, even if they are smoking and burnt to a crisp by the time she gets there. (Thank you Daisy, you really saved the day)

Eventually he falls asleep too, nose against Thomas’ forehead, their legs locked together. 

The funniest thing to think about now is... Richard didn’t believe in soulmates when he was younger. Now he knows he was wrong, because there is only one Thomas Barrow in the world and he is right here in his arms and Richard is absolutely sure there’s nobody else in the world that could ever come close to making him feel the way Thomas does every single day of his life.

He doesn’t remember what he dreams about that night either. The only thing that really matters is the dream he wakes up with in the morning.


End file.
